Black Sea : Russia’s gateway to global waters

Moscow is trying to squeeze Ukraine’s access to the strategic waters through Black Sea in its south

Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca:
- 1768–74: The Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca ended the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–74 and marked a defeat of the Ottomans in their struggle against Russia.
- It marked the beginning of the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the arrival of the Russians, under Catherine the Great, as a major power in the Black Sea region.
- As part of the treaty, Russia got access to the Black Sea through the Kerch and Azov seaports.
- Russia gained official status as the protector of the Orthodox Christians of the Ottoman Empire, a clear signal of the waning influence of the High Porte, the Ottoman central administration, within imperial territories.
- This clause also left the Crimean Khanate, which had declared independence from the Ottomans, dependent on the Russians.
- 1783: Prince Grigory Potemkin, a Grand Admiral in the imperial Russian army and a favourite of Empress Catherine, annexed the Crimean Peninsula in the name of protecting its Christians amidst violent clashes between Christians and Crimean Tatars.
  - The annexation gave Russia seamless access to the Black Sea’s warm waters, helping its rise as a naval power.

After the invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, Russia further tightened its hold over the Sea.
Russia has taken the entire Sea of Azov coast and more port cities in the south and south-east, including Mariupol, Berdyansk and Kherson.
As is evident from Russia’s military advances, expanding control over the Black Sea is one of the key military objectives of the Ukraine invasion.

This Sea is important for Russia due to various geo-economic reasons
Russia’s ports in the Arctic Ocean do not guarantee its connectivity to the rest of the world.
Russia’s key gateway to the global waters is through the Black Sea, which opens into the Mediterranean Sea through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits.
At present, Russia’s only naval base outside the erstwhile Soviet Union territories is located in Syria’s Tartus in the Mediterranean Sea.
- Russia acknowledges the fact that the Mediterranean sea is currently dominated by NATO and is looking for ways to enhance its presence in the region.

The Sea also plays a crucial role in Russia’s economy as it provides the much needed connectivity for Russia to export its hydrocarbons and grains to Turkey and other Asian countries.
During the Soviet period, Russia dominated the Black Sea, which was then regarded as the ‘Soviet Lake’.
- Black sea bordering countries such as Ukraine and Georgia were Soviet republics while Bulgaria and Romania were part of the Soviet-led Eastern bloc.
- The only country that was out of the Soviet sphere in the Black Sea region during the Cold War was Turkey and despite Turkey’s control over Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits, the 1936 Montreux Convention provided Russia and other Black Sea countries get access to the straits for both commercial and military purposes.
- The change in the balance of power post the breakdown of the Soviet Union has worked in the favour of NATO with Bulgaria and Romania joining NATO and Ukraine and Georgia also being offered NATO membership.
- However, Russia undertook a military intervention in Georgia which ended the country’s NATO dream. And through the annexation of Crimea and the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has reasserted its influence over its southern waters

Content Source: The Hindu

Created on June 20, 2022 By

Pavithra

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